1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a method and apparatus for the circumferential printing onto individual bottles in a run of bottles where the individual bottles in the run have at least one varying dimension due to manufacturing tolerances, the method and apparatus providing more consistent artwork on individual containers in the run of containers.
2. Background Information
Background information is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily admit that subsequently mentioned information and publications are prior art.
Some methods decorate containers made of metal or plastic. To this end, the artwork and/or the printed image is produced as a raster image with jets of ink or paint, for example, according to the ink jet method, the programmed application of individual dots of color along parallel or substantially parallel circumferential lines on the wall. Some methods have proven effective, but run up against limits when one and the same piece of artwork is to be applied to containers of various forms or if the circumferential design or diameter of these containers varies.
To nevertheless achieve three hundred sixty degree printing, for example, one worked in the past with overlap to compensate for the diameter tolerances described above. The overlap region is often monochrome so that it is not recognizable or does not stand out. As a result, more ink or paint than necessary and/or desired is applied on one side while on the other side of the overlap region space is unavailable for additional information or a decoration. This overlap region also disturbs the overall visual impression of such containers.
In practice, bottles and other containers often vary in terms of their diameters, so that the application of artwork, without a single-color overlapping area, on bottles that have different diameters leads to different overall visual impressions, and in most cases a constant or substantially constant, consistent or substantially consistent, identical appearance cannot be achieved. This is one of the disadvantages that may be eliminated, restricted, and/or minimized by this present application.
The present application seeks to alleviate, restrict, and/or minimize these issues.